


Blink

by nintendonut1



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Battles against swamp monsters, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Protectiveness, Taako protecting his student/child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 15:43:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8495971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nintendonut1/pseuds/nintendonut1
Summary: He asked the boy to cast a spell. The boy asked him to be careful. Neither of them are really good at following instructions.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A slightly out-of-context drabble purely inspired by [this post](https://twitter.com/rockportlimited/status/795127343534710785) by Mu. I've been thinking about a protective Taako all day Mu so THANKS FOR THAT I GUESS
> 
> Not sure where this takes place in the timeline. Far along enough that they're at the level to cast Blink.

This was supposed to be an easygoing trip. That was the only reason they had agreed to take their young informant along, let him have some surface time for a change. Heck, Magnus was just about to call for a transport back home when it happened.

First, one of Taako’s long ears tweaked upward, pointing practically up at the sky. Angus noticed this immediately, and asked him if something was wrong.

“Nah… nah it’s cool. Just thought I heard something wei--“ Then the other ear tweaked up. Big elfin eyes went alert, unblinking. This was obvious enough even for Merle nearby to notice upon an idle glance his way.

“Uh, Taako?” The ears continued to erratically twitch, and the dwarf laughed nervously. “Guys, I think our elf is broken.”

“Taako? Sir, what is it?” Angus reached out to grip at his sleeve and was terribly startled when the wizard gripped him instead, tight around the arms. And if he thought _that_ scared him, he then heard Taako’s voice, adapting a sudden and unexpected urgency.

“We have to go. _Now_.”

“W what?” Angus stammered.

“Would you hold your horses? I’m trying to get a signal.” Magnus was oblivious to the elf’s severity, tapping his bracer repeatedly. “Maybe if we got outta this swamp I could--“

And then he plunged straight into the earth.

Everything happened so fast after that, Angus could barely take it all in. He saw Merle approach the spot where Magnus sank into the ground, look it over for barely a second, and then get knocked back by a huge slimy root tearing itself up from the muck. He saw more tendrils emerge from the marsh and form into a crude fist, and a lumbering mass of twisted swamp compost begin to rise.

And that was all he _could_ see for a hot minute, as Taako had stepped in front of him, brandishing the Umbra Staff.

He heard an otherworldly roar, one that sounded like heavy wood groaning. Merle’s gruff voice tried to cut through it, almost trying to soothe the plant creature, but it snarled in return and a great tremor rocked the ground and nearly knocked Angus off his feet. He had to assume the shambling mound had attempted to crush the cleric with its fist, but a couple pained grunts from further away told him that Merle had thankfully dodged the attack.

Taako swore under his breath, and Angus could feel the Umbra Staff start to crackle with energy in his hand. Then something clicked, and the boy pulled out his little wand too. Maybe, once the monster’s weakness was revealed, he could help bring it down alongside his mentor! Wouldn’t that be something!

Angus peeked out from behind Taako’s cape to see what would happen next. He flinched at the sudden burst of light, as from the tip of the staff launched a Firebolt.

It collided with the side of what could best be construed as the plant beast’s face; it was hard to tell among the mass of wet ivy and vines. Its head-like shape recoiled a bit, but the fire did not catch.

“Shit, what?!” Judging by Taako’s response, it didn’t seem very effective. Grumbling, he let the staff charge up again. “Merle, scootch out of the way, please!” When he deemed it safe, the wizard then cast Ray of Frost (not burning spell slots yet, very smart, Angus took the mental note down).

It barely slowed the beast down. “ _Fuck!!_ ”

Taako then broke his cantrip chain and let loose a Lightning Bolt. The electricity danced across the monster’s murky surface, and it seemed as revitalized as it was before either one of those last spells hit. “…are you _absolutely serious!?!_ ”

Angus’ heart sank in dread when the shambling mound turned their way. He lifted his wand, but his mind blanked on what spell he could possibly use to stop this thing, and before he knew it the viney fist thrust forward, and all of Taako’s weight slammed into him, cushioning the blow.

The two of them tumbled and slid across the slimy ground, and Angus was left to dizzily recover with his face in the mud. _Wowsers_ , that hurt. And he didn’t even take the full force of that--

Oh. Oh no _Taako_.

Shakily, he forced himself up, only to immediately have those hands grab at his arms again to steady him. “Easy… easy, easy… shit…!”

He was okay. Oh. Oh thank goodness. He sounded winded, but that was to be expected, right? Odd that his voice was cracking too.

“C’mon, look up at me, lemme see--“ A hand lifted his head up by the chin, and for the moment Angus saw blurry shapes of color that he could at least associate with his mentor. There were streaks of red across his form too.“…shhhhhhiiiiiiit shit _shit_.”

Angus was growing quite nervous at the tone of his voice, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. As Taako seemed to look for something nearby, the boy saw shifting hues in the distance, joined by wooden roars and dwarven war cries. 

“--there! Fuck, okay.” Taako came back and slid Angus’ glasses back onto his face. Though the scene had a bit of a damp muddy filter now, he could at least see more clearly.

Taako didn’t look as bad as he’d feared, but there was a thick trail of blood leaking from his nose, at the very least. The elf chewed on his lip and wiped a thumb under Angus’ nose, bringing it back bloody before wiping it off on the boy’s shirt. Taako… Taako that is simply gross.

“--hey. Hey Angus, hey. _Angus_.”

He felt a little faint for a moment, but he shook it off at that. “Yes!! Yes. I’m, I’m here, sir.”

“Thank god, okay. Okay. Listen--“

At another roar nearby, Angus’ gaze drifted to the battle happening behind Taako. Merle, having given up on trying to reason with the thing, was striking at it with his warhammer, though he tried to aim for specific spots, and away from a crack in the middle, where the burly arms of Magnus Burnsides were reaching out to find purchase and pull himself out from the mass of swamp rot.

“ _Angus!!!_ ” Taako’s hands were gripping his face now. He could feel them shaking against his cheeks. “I need you to focus, pumpkin. Do you think if I talked you through it, you could cast Blink?”

Fearful tears prickled in his eyes. Angus could see where this was going. “M… maybe??”

“Good enough for me. Alright, so first you--“

“S sir, wait, I--!”

“Shush, hun, just do the gestures with me…!”

“Taako, I… you’ll--I _can’t_ …!”

“ _Please_ , Angus!” He froze at that, and looked back up at his dear teacher, his _friend_ , whom he loved so much and did not want to lose.

And… and he saw that same sentiment, plain and clear across the elf’s usually relaxed features. The young detective liked to believe he could read faces pretty well; wide eyes under upturned brows, long ears folded down, lower lip just barely wibbling… Taako was…

Taako was _scared_. Seeing such an honest display of fear was making Angus scared too, but there was some solidarity in it. Everyone gets scared sometimes.

“Please,” the elf quietly begged again.

Angus swallowed, then nodded. “…okay. Okay, sir. I’m sorry.”

“It, it’s fine, I know I’m asking a lot, here. But I know you can do it.”

“Just be careful, okay?”

“…I’ll try, pumpkin.”

And Taako showed him the gestures, and gave him the proper incantations. After a moment of concentration, Angus’ world turned grey. He tried to ignore the dark figures that briefly appeared and then vanished around him. He hoped that was just a part of the ethereal plane.

With relief, Taako gathered himself up and stood to return to the fight. Though now Angus saw more bloodied injuries scattered across his body, and he worried more than ever.

He moved within shooting range, staff in hand. “Where should I shoot??” he called out.

“Anywhere that _isn’t_ where Magnus is!!” Merle hollered back, just as the human burst his head out of the muck with a deep, desperate gasp of air.

“An’ don’t--!” he coughed. “-- _hit me this time!!_ ” The tips of his sideburns were a touch icy.

“Sorry!” Taako lifted his staff for a new spell, but the shambling mound was wise to his tricks now, and Angus made a strangled, unheard sound as the vines stretched out and struck him again, hard.

What could he do?? One more hit like that and Taako was a _goner!_

The creature was fully turned towards the prone wizard, stuttering just a bit as Magnus and Merle wailed fists and hammer on it, but it once again lifted its fist, and Angus couldn’t bear to watch, through this horrible grey filter, the end of his mentor.

There wasn’t much time to think this through. But he thought back to his earlier lesson, and wondered what Taako would do, and then improvised accordingly.

He moved just a little closer, and in the moment he blinked back into the mortal plane--unblinked, if you will--he cast Produce Flame, palmed it into a ball, and chucked it at the monster’s face, just before he Blinked away again.

As expected, the flame fizzled against its wet surface. But the beast still felt it, and still gave pause. Just enough pause for several Magic Missiles to tear through its head.

And with that, the creature’s body slopped in on itself, and the vines and roots and ivy shivered and collapsed, spreading across the ground. Magnus coughed and sputtered, tugging the remains off his heavily-bruised body.

“Jeez louise,” Merle grunted as he dragged his two injured teammates closer together to start healing them. “Well, _that_ was a bit of a hassle.”

“Just a bit,” Magnus snorted.

“Angus--where’s Angus,” Taako gasped out.

The boy blinked back into their plane right in the elf’s lap, immediately embracing him tight. With a shuddering sound of relief, his mentor squeezed him right back.

“Wha--when did he learn Blink!?”

Taako looked up and gave Merle a familiar, shit-eating grin. “Just now.”

“Nice.” Magnus grinned past his pained grimace. “You weren’t kidding when you said he learns fast.”

Angus gave out a choke, and Taako returned all of his attention on the whimpering child genius in his embrace, petting his head. “…I saw that, you little shit,” he said gently.

“The monster was going to kill you, sir,” the boy sniveled.

“Maybe.”

“I asked you to be careful…!”

“And I asked you to stay Blinked until it was over, cupcake.”

Angus sniffed hard. “Then I guess… we both aren’t very good at following instructions.”

Taako went quiet for a long moment, and his next words made Merle and Magnus trade glances. “…more like we’re good at _not_ following instructions. That’s an important lesson to learn, kiddo.”

As Angus mulled over those words, Taako dipped his head lower into the embrace, and spoke soft words only meant for him, “Hell, I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Angus hiccupped. “You too, Taako.”

**Author's Note:**

> i stayed up SO LATE WRITING THIS i hope you guys like it. i also went into a dumb amount of dnd research for it oops


End file.
